


Wild Card

by realdefonge



Series: ongnielminhwan baseball au [2]
Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, And Much More - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Ongniel are rivals, Romance, Sports, batter!ong, catcher!lin, minhwan gets mentioned, ongniel baseball au, pitcher!niel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 10:49:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realdefonge/pseuds/realdefonge
Summary: Seongwu, the batter of the LG Twins, has an ongoing rivalry with Daniel, the pitcher of the Lotte Giants.But as it turns out, they're more than just rivals.





	Wild Card

**Author's Note:**

> -this takes place in the same universe as my minhwan baseball au (if you've read that already, I changed ongniel's characters to 2park so that they would be players from opposing teams)  
> -BIG THANKS TO THE FANARTISTS FOR THEIR LOVELY ONGNIEL BASEBALL FANARTS WHICH INSPIRED THIS AU <3  
> -I hope I did this right (I'm not that familiar with baseball and I watched a few Diamond no Ace clips and googled baseball terminologies for this one xD)  
> -please enjoy~

Seongwu couldn’t even hide the look of frustration on his face anymore. He was disappointed at his own performance during the game. His teammates told him not to blame himself, but he just couldn’t help it, especially when he’s the one who kept missing the pitches from their rival team, the Doosan Bears.

Because of those misses, they lost their winning momentum at the second half, with Minhyun and Jaehwan’s pitcher-catcher combo dominating the game. They’re at the ninth inning and the Bears have basically secured their win, but Seongwu was desperate to, at the very least, hit the opposing team’s closing pitch.

“This is not the time to sulk,” Seongwu mumbled to himself as he assumed an upright stance in the box, positioning his bat at a flatter angle so he could easily adjust to Minhyun’s incoming pitch. “I have a pride to protect,”

From behind him, he suddenly heard Jaehwan curse under his breath. Seongwu glanced at him and noticed that the catcher’s eyes were throwing daggers at Minhyun. It wasn’t that surprising since the Doosan Bear’s infamous _battery_ (collective term for a team's pitcher and catcher) were known to bicker a lot outside the field. Still, the fact that they could play so well together despite arguing a lot remains as a mystery to Seongwu.

But he has no time to ponder on that. Minhyun was already preparing himself for the final throw. Seongwu held his breath as he made a tight grip on the bat. However, something about the way Minhyun angled himself was odd. Furthermore, his grip on the ball was different, as if he’s planning to make a—

‘ _Oh, fuck! It’s a knuckleball!_ ’ Seongwu bit the inside of his cheeks at the realization. True enough, the ball flew in an erratic trajectory, confirming his suspicions. Seongwu went for a crouched position at the last minute, but it was too late. Before he knew it, the ball had already landed on Jaehwan’s mitt. It was a clean victory for the Bears. 

Seongwu could only drop his bat in frustration. He removed his helmet and took a deep breath. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his head up to hold his tears back. 

He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He opened his eyes and saw Guanlin looking at him with his gummy smile in tow. “Cheer up, hyung! It was a good game! You did well,”

The tears that Seongwu desperately tried to swallow back began to flow. He buried his face on his teammate’s shoulder and rubbed his eyes on the younger’s clothes to wipe his tears away. “Ah, but it means a lot for us. This is our first major league season.”

“Exactly,” Guanlin grinned. “Just the first one. We still have a lot more to come so we have no time to mope,”

Seongwoo gaped at Guanlin, who always seemed to know what to say at any given moment. He smiled at the younger and gave him a pat on the back. “You’re right. Instead of moping, I should focus on improving,”

The rest of his teammates were already in the center of the field, putting up smiles as they shook hands with their rivals despite the obvious disappointment in their faces after losing. Seongwu and Guanlin ran there to do the same. 

After the formalities, they went backstage for some pep talk from their coach. Some of them cried, some of them held their tears back. The fight is still not over, anyway, because they still have the wild card game against the Lotte Giants. 

The Twins have an advantage as the home team (since they’re leading with a 0.001 winning percentage against the Giants), but they still can’t afford to be at ease. After all, their competitors managed to win against Kia Tigers in a heated playoff at Sajik Baseball Stadium last week, improving their winning percentage and locking down the fifth spot. 

As the fourth seed, the Twins only need a win or a tie in order to proceed to the next round. If the Giants win, they will get another match on the next day (which they should also win) for them to advance. 

“Seongwu-yah, aren’t you gonna take a shower?” Eunwoo, their pitcher, asked. They went to the lockers after the pep talk but instead of preparing for a shower, Seongwu just sat at the bench with his elbows on his knees and his face on his palms. 

He looked up at Eunwoo and shook his head. “You guys can go ahead,”

“Alright,” Eunwoo slumped the towel on his shoulder and closed his locker. “Don’t think too much about it, okay?”

Seongwu nodded and smiled. When he was finally alone in the room, he laid his back on the bench and covered his eyes with his forearm. He told Guanlin and Eunwoo that he wouldn’t mope, and he wasn’t really planning to, but the match earlier kept replaying in his head like a broken record. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted his choices in the field. 

“You should’ve angled your bat at a vertical position instead of a flat one,”

Seongwu moved his forearm from his face at the sound of that voice. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar face looking down at him with that usual, annoying grin. “I know that, dumbass.”

Seongwu clicked his tongue as he sat up to glare at Daniel, who got up from his squatting position earlier to occupy the space next to him. “But you were so confident that Minhyun-sunbae would throw either a fastball or a curveball. It was so obvious from your batting position. You should know better that he can be unpredictable sometimes.”

“I said I know! I made the wrong decisions, yes.” Seongwu threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Happy now?”

“ _Tch_ ,” Daniel chuckled. “Well, you did make an amazing home run in the first half, but you ended up getting fooled a lot in the second half,”

Seongwu gasped unbelievingly. “You son of a—you think you can say that to me when you got a strikeout during your match with the Tigers? Good thing your coach called for a pinch hitter in the second half.”

“That was—” Daniel paused when he couldn’t come up with a retort right away. Seongwu laughed out loud in victory. “You know I suck at batting! That’s _your_ forte. I perform better when we’re fielding. Anyway, what matters is that our team still won in the end.”

“Yeah, but no thanks to you, of course,” Seongwu rolled his eyes. “Just wait and see! During our wild card match, I’ll send all of your pitches flying!”

“Go on and try! I won’t lose to you! I may not be a great batter but my pitches are always on point,” Daniel grumbled. “My off-speed pitches are phenomenal, if I must say so myself.”

Seongwu looked at Daniel in disgust, but the latter just folded his arms together and proudly lifted his chin up. “The way you praise yourself never fails to give me the chills,”

“At least I know how to praise myself despite my shortcomings in other areas.” Daniel raised an eyebrow and turned to Seongwu. “What about you, hyung? Are you just gonna stay here and blame yourself for your team’s loss? Are you gonna disregard the fact that you scraped your left cheek when you dove towards the home plate? I was in the audience, and everyone around me was amazed by the effort you exerted,”

“Shut up, Niel.”

Kang Daniel, dubbed as one of the rookie monsters along with Seongwu and Guanlin, is a major league player of the Lotte Giants and is best known for his incredible pitches which were said to be on par with Minhyun’s during the latter’s rookie days. 

He has been Seongwu’s rival since high school, back when they were just two, young boys who played baseball as a hobby. After years of playing against each other (their schools’ baseball teams often clashed for the Nationals back then), they both realized that they love the sport more than they initially thought and both went on to pursue full-time careers as athletes. 

Their heated rivalry continued until they finally became regulars in their respective KBO Leagues. During their preliminary matches this season (their first one in the major league), it became a habit to watch each other’s games and give feedback (or more like, insults) to each other’s gameplays. 

Whether they win or lose, they always have snarky remarks prepared for the other. If they win, the insults get them more pumped up for the next game. If they lose, they end up forgetting the sorrows of defeat and get back on their feet, eager to learn from their mistakes and show the other that they could do better. 

Simply put, they hate losing to each other. As if fated to become lifetime rivals, they’ve always been recruited to opposing teams. For many years, they’ve been competing on the field with Daniel on the pitcher’s mound and Seongwu on the batter’s box. They somehow end up facing each other like that in at least one or two innings. 

But Daniel’s significance to Seongwu goes way beyond rivalry. 

“Come here, baby,” Daniel cooed with his arms open wide. “Stop sulking now,”

Seongwu pouted before scooting closer to wrap his arms around the younger’s waist. He nuzzled his nose into Daniel’s neck, inhaling that familiar scent which never fails to comfort him. “I will. If you stop babying me.”

Daniel laughed as he tightened his hold on Seongwu. “You say that all the time even though you love getting babied by me.”

“Then stop initiating it.”

“I can’t. How can I when you really act like a baby sometimes?”

Seongwu looked up at his boyfriend and pouted again, earning him a pinch on the nose from the latter. “This is your fault. You’ve been spoiling me for three years. If this continues, I might accidentally act like this in front of my teammates.”

“Ah, the thought of anyone else seeing like this irks me,” Daniel pinched Seongwu’s nose again before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “You’re _my_ baby,”

“I’m older than you, brat.” Seongwu chuckled before nuzzling Daniel’s neck again. 

His boyfriend sighed as he kissed his injured cheek this time, which was covered by a band-aid. “I know injuries cannot be avoided ‘cause we’re athletes, but be more careful, okay? You scratched your precious face. On top of that, it’s the side where your pretty moles are located.”

Seongwu snorted on his neck and Daniel laughed ‘cause it felt ticklish. “Yes, sir. I’ll be more careful.”

If it were the old them, the conversation would’ve ended up after dropping the usual insults. But things changed when they started dating three years ago. The usual banter and disses are still present, but they never forget to sweet-talk each other afterwards. 

“By the way, Niel,” Seongwu sat up straight, although his hands remained on his boyfriend’s waist. “When will you finally claim me?”

“Claim you?” Daniel looked confused at first, but he eventually broke into a grin. “As far as I know, I’ve already claimed you many times already, hyung. Or do you want to do it here for a change?”

“Not _that_!” Seongwu felt a blush forming on his face. Despite dating for three years, he still can’t get used to this side of Daniel, especially when the latter gazes at him with a look of desire. “I’m talking about revealing our relationship to our teammates.”

Keeping their relationship a secret was a mutual agreement between them. They started dating right when they were about to get recruited to the KBO Leagues so they both decided to keep things low-key so there wouldn’t be any fuss. Guanlin, who’s been hanging out with them since college, is the only one who’s aware of their relationship. Their family and close friends who aren’t associated with their baseball careers are also aware. 

Seongwu was fine with it. But there have been times when it bothered him, like when their fellow athletes would sometimes bump into them during their casual dates. They would teasingly ask them if they’re dating (going further to say ‘ _so it’s true that the more you hate, the more you love_ ’) and Seongwu would usually just keep quiet, because Daniel would always be the first to deny it. 

Of course, Seongwu knows it’s what’s best for the both of them, but there’s a side of him that wants to shout out to the world that he’s dating Daniel. That dating such an amazing athlete as Daniel is giving him so much pride. 

And so every time Daniel denies their relationship, Seongwu can’t help but wonder if his boyfriend is also proud of dating him. Whenever he gets thoughts like that, Seongwu ends up hating himself for doubting the younger. 

“Do you want me to?” Daniel asked after a while, his smile so gentle as he brushed the hair out of Seongwu’s face. 

Seongwu scanned Daniel’s eyes for a while, then he smiled as he shook his head. “That can wait.”

He pulled Daniel for a hug again and said no more. Whatever the case may be, Seongwu is sure that Daniel loves him, and that’s all that matters. 

* * *

“I still can’t believe it,” Seongwu muttered as he removed his shoes and placed them in the rack near the doorway. “They were just shouting like cats and dogs and then _bam_! They were making out,”

Daniel placed their gym bags on the bed and proceeded to yank his shirt off. He gave it a whiff before tossing it to the laundry bag. “I mean, it was awkward enough to be caught up in their heated arguments, but to walk in on them making out in the locker room? That was on another level.”

Seongwu laughed as he walked to their closet to take out a new set of clothes. “I still can’t believe it. Minhyun-sunbae and Jaehwan-sunbae... _wow_ , I did not see that coming. We just had a match last week and they looked like they wanted to cut each other’s throats.”

They went to the gym for their usual workouts and stumbled upon the Doosan Bear’s battery. Minhyun and Jaehwan were also there to train but ended up bickering after a few minutes. Seongwu and Daniel tried to appease the situation, but it only made things worse so they decided to just stay out of it. 

And then, when they went to the locker room, they accidentally walked in on Minhyun and Jaehwan making out at the side. The four of them froze, and after ten seconds of awkward silence, the Doosan Bear duo scrambled to get their things, laughed abashedly, bowed at Seongwu and Daniel, and rushed out of the room hand in hand. 

“That was wild.” Seongwu walked towards Daniel and handed him a towel. “But they oddly reminded me of us,”

“The memory is still clear as day,” Daniel laughed as he hung the towel around his neck. “We had a really close match that day. I guess that’s why we got riled up even more than usual when the game ended,"

They were still in the minor league during that time. Their teams had a face-off during the preliminaries. It was such a close match that they played extra innings until Daniel’s team finally emerged as the victor. After the game, Seongwu and Daniel stayed behind, both still in their uniforms, to shout at each other and argue on which of them did better or which of them sucked more at the game. 

But in the heat of the moment, they started bridging the distance between their bodies and before they knew it, they were already kissing each other fervently. They can’t even remember who initiated the kiss. All they knew was that they finally gave in to the underlying sexual tension which they both tried to suppress for God knows how long. 

After that, they confessed that they both found each other amazing during that match. They’ve always felt that way whenever they competed, but they didn’t have the guts to admit it because of their rivalry. They talked it out for a few weeks, until they realized that they indeed like each other. 

Now, three years into their relationship, they’re living together in one apartment with Daniel’s cats. Nothing much has changed. They still bicker a lot over baseball and still taunt each other during matches. 

But at the end of the day, in their own space they call home, where they aren’t athletes but simply just Seongwu and Daniel, they openly express their love for each other—the love that seems to grow stronger through time, as sappy as it may sound. 

At the thought of that, Daniel sighed softly as he leaned down to kiss Seongwu’s forehead. “I’m glad I gave in to the sexual tension that day,”

“Oh, what’s this,” Seongwu gripped the towel on Daniel’s neck to pull him closer. “I know that look. Does this puppy want to take a shower with me?”

“Stop calling me a puppy,” Daniel grimaced, although it was quickly replaced by a smirk as he began to lift Seongwu’s shirt. “But showering together sounds good.”

Seongwu made an attempt to laugh, but his lips were sealed by Daniel’s. The younger’s hands were already inside his shirt, softly caressing his abdomen. Seongwu hummed as he ran his fingers through Daniel’s soft hair, smiling against his boyfriend lips when the latter began to lift his shirt higher. 

Their lips parted for a while so Daniel could completely discard the piece of clothing. He hastily threw it on the floor before encircling his arms on Seongwu’s bare waist. “Shower time?”

Seongwu gave Daniel a peck on the lips and winked. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“We’re now at the bottom half of the ninth inning for the Wild Card game between the LG Twins and the Lotte Giants. This is their second match after the Giants bagged the win yesterday, earning them another chance to fight the Twins to qualify for the next round.”

“Oh, man. The tension is on here at the Jamsil Stadium. Scores are tied at 4-4 with the Twins up at bat. Current count is 1 ball and 2 strikes. If the Giants manage to hold out this inning, they can still stand a chance. The home team really stepped it up tonight after their loss against the visiting team last week. I must say, their players are in peak condition tonight.”

“Definitely. Cha Eunwoo’s four-seamers overpowered the batters by zipping through the strike zone, landing perfectly on Lai Guanlin’s mitt.”

“That’s true. But the Giants also have a fair share of amazing pitchers. Kang Daniel, who’s on the mound for the pitch, has served curveballs that the batters found difficult to get around on.”

“With the Twins’ Ong Seongwu up at bat, it’s really hard to predict how this match will turn out. His fluid swings could send the ball flying anywhere, making him a home run threat.”

Daniel inhaled sharply as he tried to regain his focus. The immense pressure of being the closing pitcher was starting to get to him, but he knew better than to give in.

Seongwu, who was making practice swings on the box, clearly looked like he was at the top of his game. His eyes were filled with so much intensity that it gave Daniel the chills. Thanks to Seongwu’s display of passion, Daniel was able to fuel his own. He gave it his all during the match and refused to be overpowered by his rival. 

“I definitely won’t lose,” Daniel whispered as he stretched his limbs. “I just need to earn our team extra innings. We can still win this.”

He made eye contact with his catcher, Lee Hangyul, who signaled for a backdoor slider. Daniel gulped but eventually made a nod. While it’s true that as a left-handed hitter, Seongwu would have a hard time hitting Daniel’s right-handed pitch, it’s not like throwing the slider would be easy. Daniel needs intense concentration to get the grip and rotation right, which is why he only used that kind of pitch during their practices. 

‘ _But if there’s a time to concentrate as if my life depended on it, that time is now,_ ’ Daniel thought with much determination. He has no room for self doubts. If Seongwu knew that Daniel lost because of his uncertainties, he would sulk for a month. More than anything else, Seongwu hates earning victories just because his competitors decided to play half-assedly. The same goes for Daniel. Which is why he would give it his all. 

Daniel gripped the baseball on his hand, making sure to hide it behind his glove so that Seongwu wouldn’t be able to predict what kind of pitch is coming his way. He breathed in and out as he put pressure on the thumb side of his index finger. 

Finally, he pivoted and shifted his body weight from the back foot. He swung his throwing arm across the front of his body and cocked his wrist slightly, making sure that the pressure is only on his index finger upon release. 

As if everything was happening in slow motion, Daniel held his breath as he watched the ball fly off the plate then break back towards the outside corner. The sudden break made Seongwu flinch, but there was an immediate shift in his gaze. Daniel’s hairs stood on edge when Seongwu changed his stance. The batter’s eyes managed to locate the ball and change his body’s angle at the last second. That kind of quick adjustment was almost impossible to make, especially since Daniel threw a perfect slider. 

Seongwu’s posture and fluidity as he made the swing looked exceptional. The ball came into contact with his bat, producing a loud clanking sound as it flew over the outfield. 

Daniel could only stare in awe as Seongwu dropped the bat and began circling the field with a huge smile on his face. 

“Ong Seongwu hits Kang Daniel’s slider with a walk-off home run! It’s a win for the LG Twins!”

Seongwu’s teammates began to flock to him. They were all eager to give him a hug for a job well done. Daniel even spotted Guanlin crying tears of joy as he hugged the older. 

As for Daniel, the feeling of disappointment was inevitable. He was really desperate to win. 

Still, it was a great game and everyone gave their best. As he looked at Seongwu again, Daniel smiled. Above anything else, he’s glad that he lost to such a spectacular player. 

“You never fail to amaze me, hyung.”

* * *

Seongwu smiled politely at everyone congratulating and praising him for his home run earlier. He did a few small interviews before retreating to the back with his teammates, although his eyes kept scanning the hallway for any signs of the opposing team, or Daniel, in particular.

After shaking hands with the Giants earlier, Daniel suddenly ran out of the field without even sparing Seongwu a glance. The older tried to reach him through his phone, but Daniel wouldn’t respond to his texts and calls. 

Seongwu began to worry. It’s not Daniel’s first loss in a game, but Seongwu knows all too well that it’s hard to get used to the feeling of defeat. No matter how much you try to say it’s okay, you still can’t help but be disappointed with yourself. 

It’s during times like these that Seongwu needs to be by Daniel’s side, just like how the younger had always been there for him. 

“Guanlin-ah,” Seongwu turned to their catcher as they made their way towards the locker room. “Have you seen Daniel?”

“Niel-hyung?” Guanlin stopped on his tracks to face Seongwu. “I haven’t actually. But I saw him running out of the field—”

“Whoa!”

“Who’s that for?”

“You suddenly ran out to buy that?”

There was a sudden fuss behind them, and Seongwu recognized those voices as the players from the opposing team. He quickly turned around and almost jumped in shock, because Daniel was already standing in front of him with a huge bouquet of flowers in hand. 

Daniel wiped the sweat off his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. “Hyung!”

“Niel,” Seongwu stared at him, then at the bouquet. “Are those...?”

Daniel grinned as he handed the flowers to Seongwu. “They’re for you, of course!”

From around him, Seongwu could hear a series of gasps, mostly from his and Daniel’s teammates. Then they roared and some even screamed, ‘ _I knew it!_ ’ before proceeding to clap and whistle for the couple.

Seongwu took the flowers from Daniel with a confused face. “What are you doing right now?”

“I’m _claiming_ you, hyung.” Daniel answered with a vibrant smile, totally different from the gloomy expression he had earlier when their team lost. “I mean...I told myself I’d wait until I catch up to you, but it would take years. You’re just way too good! You’re improving at an incredible rate. But I’ve decided that instead of worrying about getting left behind, I should focus on working hard so I could at least be good enough as your competitor.”

Seongwu couldn’t believe it. All this time, he’s been feeling insecure for no reason at all. He thought he wasn’t good enough for Daniel, but it was actually the latter who was feeling that way. He didn’t know that Daniel held such high regard for him. 

“So...you wanted to keep our relationship discreet because you felt that you still haven’t caught up to me?” Seongwu thought hard about his own question, then proceeded to hit Daniel with his free hand when the latter nodded. “You idiot! You’ve made me anxious for nothing. What do you mean about catching up to me? You’re a damn good athlete!”

“I know I am but...you’re just amazing, hyung!” Daniel took Seongwu’s hand into his palms and gazed at him as if he’s looking at his idol. “Like, wow. I’ve always been proud of you, but you looked so beautiful, so divine, when you made the swing earlier. It was then that I realized that I want to shout out to the world that I’m dating this amazing human being.”

Seongwu felt his heart melt. All this time, that’s all he ever wanted to hear. That Daniel is proud of him. Getting to hear those words removed his remaining doubts. He jumped into Daniel’s arms, the younger almost stumbling backwards if not for his sense of balance. “I’m also very proud of you, Niel.”

Daniel laughed as the flowers brushed against his nose. “Hyung, does this mean I can brag about you from now on?”

Seongwu separated from Daniel and grimaced. “Not until I brag about you first.”

As if on cue, the people around them began to cheer again. It was only then that they felt the embarrassment of displaying their cheesiness in front of their teammates. They both shyly looked down and laughed. 

“Well,” Hangyul muttered to one of his teammates. “At least one of our Giants is winning at life.”  



End file.
